To build a better life
by LookingForRaura
Summary: They got their second life. A little bit different. Still not easy. However, Will could still recognize him by touch alone, by smell. And Nico still wants to be the first hero to be happy. Even with another name, other parents, and another life in a different time. They will always follow each other. (crossover with the song of Achilles. Patrochilles are the old life of Solangelo)
1. Prologue

**Description:**

They got their second life. A little bit different. Still not easy. However, Nico could still recognize him by touch alone, by smell. And Will still wants to be the first hero to be happy. Even with another name, other parents, and another life in a different time. They will always follow each other.

 _so we found our way back home,  
let our cuts and bruises heal.  
while a brand-new war began,  
one that no one else could feel._

 _our nights have grown so long.  
now we beg for sound advice.  
"let the brokenness be felt  
'til you reach the other side.  
there is goodness in the heart  
of every broken man  
who comes right up to the edge  
of losing everything he has."_

 _we were young enough to sign  
along the dotted line._

 _now we're young enough to try  
to build a better life.  
to build a better life._

 _\- Mars, Sleeping At Last_

* * *

"But… What if we don't meet each other?"

The woman smiled fondly at me. I suppose it was to make me feel calmer. Not that it worked. I was too afraid. Too afraid that there was the possibility of losing him again. I could not take. I could not take it in our first like and I cannot take it right now (or in our future life).

"You have to believe in the fates, my dear. He will be going first but you'll meet."

"How that's even work?! He's going first, I'm going to stay here! And believe in the fates? Do you recall what we both had to suffer because of the fates?!" I was getting angry. Flashbacks of our life in the world above ran through my mind. War. Pain. Suffer. Angst. I couldn't do it. No. I needed him.

"Shh… We will be alright…" I feel his hand on mine and just like that, I feel so much calmer. "We're going to be together. I'm not going to lose you again. I'm never going to let you go. I promise…"

My hands found their way to his face. I leaned in, our foreheads pressed together. And I knew he would keep his promise. He always did…

I don't know how much time we spent like this. Time runs differently here. They tell us that it passed almost two millenniums since we died. It didn't look that much time. Time runs too fast when I'm with him. It was always like this.

He kissed me on the lips, slowly and softly. He was saying: I see you later.

"I will be looking for you, Patroclus."

Pa-tro-clus.

He always knew what to say. How much time will I have to wait till I heard him say it again? Will I ever hear it again?

Then he smiled to me as he grabbed the water of Lethe and drinked looking at me. Not speaking but making me a promisse. That he will always love me as Achilles and as Nico.

* * *

 **A/N:** _I had this idea for weeks. And I couldn't find a story where Nico and Will are Achilles and Patroclus. So I thought I could write it. You have to keep some things in mind as you read this story. First, I will change some parts of The Last Olympian and The Blood of Olympus, just to make the story more plausible. Not major changes just some little things. Second, I will not have only one POV. Sometimes I will post a chapter as Nico, others as Will. But it will probably more Will. Third and last, English is not my first language so sorry for any mistakes or confusion, I'm trying my best. I hope you guys like this!_


	2. I - Will's POV

**_Will's POV_**

Do you ever have those weird dreams that doesn't feel like dreams? Like… It's kind of a movie, but you're not watching it on the screen. You are one of characters. And you wake up and for an hour or so you still remember it, but it fades, and you get that horrible feeling that you are losing something.

That happens to me all the time. Since I was thirteen. Since the battle of Manhattan…

I was young… But I had been on the camp for three years and I wanted to fight. I wanted to help. But… I was never good at fighting. However, I always had this great skill with medical stuff. I remember when Chiron was showing me the camp, and I saw the infirmary and I sprinted to one of my brothers (well I didn't know he was my brother in that moment but you guys get it) and asked if I could help. They say that I have some kind of power of heal. That's why I was in the battle along with my brothers and sisters. I was running around trying to save everyone. Too many died before I got to them, other died in my hands… There was blood, corps, arrows and swords everywhere. It was war.

I don't remember feeling scared of war. I mean I was scared for my family and friends but I wasn't quite… Quite shocked about it. Which is strange for a thirteen years old boy. It felt like I knew war. I knew what that mean. I knew those scenarios. However, I never had been on a war. I wouldn't even fight in the front line in the camp games. It was weird…

Actually, this gets even weirder.

I was helping one of my brothers who had a broken arm. We looked down and saw Percy and Annabeth near Kronos (I mean Kronos on Luke's body.). We saw Kronos raising his scythe but a dog howl's made everyone stop. There was this huge dog and a little kid passing through the titan's army. No one made a move to stop him.

First, I didn't look actually to him. I was kind of admiring the dog and I knew that dog. It was Mrs. O'Leary. I had too many campers on the infirmity when she was around.

When I looked to the kid something inside me trigged. I saw myself going to the window, looking down to him. He was young… Probably my age but he seemed old… And tired. Even from there, I could feel him. He was sad. I didn't want to see him sad. I wanted to go down there and just hug him. I wanted to… I don't know. I don't understand what I was feeling.

So back to the dreams. They started after that. I don't know if it was the battle or Nico (his name sounds so strange… He doesn't look like a Nico.) But they came almost every night. Making me wake up shaking and sometimes with someone from my cabin looking worried. But they don't say stuff. We are Apollo's kids. Sometimes we have prophetic dreams and we tell when we want. But… Ahm… I don't think my brothers would like to hear about my dreams.

Some of them were about this kid with his skull open. I see him lifting his fist and my hands pushing him. When I look again he's on the floor, blood all around him. Then, I wake up shaking. No knowing why am I dreaming about that. I talked with Cecil and Lou Ellen about it but we don't have a clue about it.

The dreams don't come every night. And I don't remember half of them. Sometimes is just a feeling of missing something. Or images of hands and blond hair. This smell… Figs. The damn figs. Of every weird dream I have, the figs one have to be the weird. I don't even like figs that much. But now or then I dream about figs being thrown in the air or me catching them. Sometimes there's music. A lyre… I can't remember much…

"Will? Solace? Come on, man! We need you!" I hear someone calling my name. I shake the thoughs out of my head. I can't think about it right now. We are in the middle of a soon to be new war.

"I'm going I'm going! Gods, calm down, Cecil." I was nervous. I mean we were going to spy on the enemy. Me, Cecil and Lou Ellen.

Also I just delivered a baby. A freaking adorable baby. That made me tired. I can't stop my hands of shaking.

I ran to Cecil, all dressing in black, with our faces painted. We looked like freaking good-looking ninjas. She was preparing herself to use the mist on us. We wouldn't be caught. Well I hope we aren't caught. This Romans are nuts.

* * *

It was almost morning. We spent the whole night spying on the enemy. Lou Ellen had to shake me so I wouldn't fall asleep at least 3 times. But the sun was getting up so that made me feel a lot better. We were trying to figure out what we would do with those six roman onagers when I see someone fall into their knees and grabbing Thalia's pine tree for support.

Cecil grabbed my t-shirt but I didn't even move. He was here. Nico di Angelo was here. And he looked horrible. He looked like he was… fading. Before I could even think of what I was doing, I got up.

"Nico?"

He spun, his sword instantly in his hand, and almost decapitated me. Wow. Here I am worried about him and he tries to kill me. Why do I feel this is not the first time he does something like this to me?

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I know this is small but it's the best I can do for now. I'm still doing my finals. And I know the first chapter was really confusing, I made a huge mistake in the description but I fixed it! For those who didn't understand it, Nico is Achilles and Will is Patroclus. At least in this story. Hope you guys like it! Reviews are more than welcome, even more if you give me some constructive criticism!_


	3. II - Will's POV

"Nico?"

He spun, his sword instantly in his hand, and almost decapitated me. Wow. Here I am worried about him and he tries to kill me. Why do I feel this is not the first time he does something like this to me?

"Put that down!" I almost scream. Slowly I push his sword down. "What are you doing here?"

" _Me_ " Nico asks. "What are _you_ doing? Getting yourselves killed?"

I tried not to be offend by that. I know I'm not the most kick ass demigod around here but I'm not useless. I frown looking back at him. Trying to keep that weird sensation on my stomach quiet.

"Hey, we're scouting the enemy. We took precautions."

"You dressed in black, with the sun coming up. You painted your face but didn't cover that mop of blond hair. You might as well be waving a yellow flag."

I feel all my blood running to my face and ears. Oh come on. Get a grip Solace.

"Lou Ellen wrapped some Mist around us, too…" I say quietly still blushing.

"Hi." Thank gods. I might kiss Lou Ellen right now. "You're Nico, right? I've heard a lot about you."

I tried to not look as shocked as I was. Fucking traitor! I'm not going to kiss her anymore. I looked at Nico hopping that he didn't noticed what she was saying. And, thank Apollo, he didn't. This is the first time I talk with him and she almost say something about me always talking about him. And I'm not always talking about him. I'm not.

Okay, maybe I talk a little about him.

Fuck my life.

"And this is Cecil from Hermes cabin." Nico knees next to us. And I think he wasn't paying that much attention. Lucky me.

"Did Coach Hedge make it to camp?" He asks looking around. He didn't look that well… I could feel this darkness coming from him… Hedge talked with me about him. About all of this stuff he's been doing to get the statue here. It's consuming him…

"Did he ever." I elbow her. I know she's nervous about all of this but can she please stop.

"Yeah. Hedge is fine. He made it just in time for the baby's birth."

"The baby!" He grins and my heart started to run the mile. My mind starts to go to the blond boy with the figs. I shake my head, making it go away. I can't think about this right now. "Mellie and the kid are all right?"

"Fine. A very cute little satyr boy." Images of the birth ruin trough my mind and I shiver. I came here to not think about it. I might get traumatized. At least, it's better thank thinking about… it. "But I delivered it. Have you ever delivered a baby?"

"Um, no."

"I had to get some fresh air. That's why I volunteered for this mission. Gods of Olympus, my hands are still shaking. See?"

I take his hand. The second I do it I feel this electric current down my spine and the image of the blond boy with the warming smile comes again. He open his mouth to say something but before I can see it, I feel Nico taking his hand out of mine.

"Whatever," he snaps. I take some seconds to get back to the real world. "We don't have time for chitchat. The Romans are attacking at dawn and I've got to –"

"We know" I cut him. I know what he wants to do. "But, if you're planning to shadow-travel to that command tent, forget it."

Nico glares at me. "Excuse me?"

Was he trying to scare me?

I continue to stare at him. He didn't scared me. I know he wouldn't do shit to hurt me or someone good. He wasn't like that.

"Coach Hedge told me all about your shadow-travel. You _can't_ try that again." I say serious. I know what would happen if he shadow-traveled again. He would die. And he's not going to die. Not if I can do something about it. Even if I have to be his shadow till all of this is over.

"I just _did_ try it again, Solace. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. I'm a healer. I could feel the darkness in your hand as soon as I touched it. Even if you made it to that tent, you'd be in no shape to fight. But you _wouldn't_ make it. One more slip, and you won't come back." I look him in the eyes. " You are _not_ shadow-travelling. Doctor's orders."

"The camp is about to be destroyed –"

"And we'll stop the Romans," I say rolling my eyes. 'But we'll do it our way. Lou Ellen will control the Mist. We'll sneak around, do as much damage as we can to those onagers. But _no_ shadow-travel.'

'But –'

' _No._ ' I cross my arms glaring at him. I will not give up on this. I could do this the whole day if it means that he lives.

Lou Ellen's and Cecil's heads swivel back and forth like they were watching a really intense

tennis match. And this two are my best friends. Gods.

"Whatever."

Solace 1, Di Angelo 0.

"But we have to hurry. And you'll follow _my_ lead."

"Fine." I say, feeling more confident about all of this. "Just don't ask me to deliver any more satyr babies and we'll get along great."


End file.
